Hockey and lacrosse players typically wear protective gloves during game play in order to prevent injuries to their hands. As such, much attention is given to the design and construction of the gloves in order to provide an appropriate level of protection and comfort.
In a traditional glove construction, the dorsal and finger portions comprise a plurality of distinct dorsal and finger protectors (padding elements enclosed in distinct separate pockets) for protecting the player's hand and fingers, these protectors being separated by a plurality of gaps, spaces, grooves, channels or flexion zones. The dorsal and finger portions often include distinct separate protectors of different shapes which are stitched beside one another to protect the entirety of the player's hand. Each of the padding elements is contained within a respective distinct separate pocket. The dorsal and finger protectors are thus slightly spaced apart in order to provide flexibility to the dorsal and finger portions of the glove. By virtue of the plurality of distinct dorsal and finger protectors and plurality of flexion zones, the traditional glove therefore permits a level of flexibility while also providing protection.
However, it is understood that providing a plurality of dorsal and finger protectors involves a plurality of components and manufacturing steps, because for each protector, a pocket enclosing a padding element must be stitched to the dorsal/finger sheet. As such, there is a need in the industry for a hockey or lacrosse glove which is less costly to manufacture while still providing a suitable level of protection and flexion to the player's hand and fingers. Thus, it is a feature to produce gloves that provide flexibility, comfort and protection and to produce gloves that reduce design and production costs, that are less complex in design, and that have fewer components and/or require less manufacturing steps.